Latino heroes of San Antonio

These San Antonians have had a major impact on the city.

By Elaine Ayala

Voting rights advocate William C. “Willie” Velásquez of San Antonio will be remembered next month as part of a rare honor from the Texas Legislature.
Last year lawmakers declared each May 9 to be a day of recognition for the founder of Southwest Voter Registration Education Project who died in 1988. For the full report, visit www.expressnews.com.

Click ahead for some of San Antonio's Latino leaders of today. Minority affairs reporter, columnist and blogger Elaine Ayala shines
light on their efforts to benefit the local community. less

Voting rights advocate William C. “Willie” Velásquez of San Antonio will be remembered next month as part of a rare honor from the Texas Legislature.
Last year lawmakers declared each May 9 to be a day of ... more

is the first Latino to serve as the library director of San Antonio's public library system. The Del Rio native has more than 30 years of experience in the profession and was the first Latino library director in the El Paso and Dallas library systems, too.

Dr. Maria “Cuca” Robledo Montecel is president and CEO of the...photo-5226989.70401 - |ucfirst

Joe Bernal and Mary Esther Bernal

are pioneering San Antonio educators. Joe Bernal became a state senator and member of the State Board of Education; his wife Mary Esther was one of the city's first bilingual educators (before there was an official program). A San Antonio middle school will soon be named for Joe Bernal.

From left, Mary Esther Bernal, former senator Joe Bernal, poll volunteer Emma Gregory (front), and campaign fundraiser Rose L. Garcia, congratulate Diego Bernal as he arrives at his runoff victory party for the District 1 City Council seat at Los Barrios, June 11, 2011.

and her husband Dr. Manuel Berriozabal. She was the first Mexican American woman on the City Council and continues to be a grass-roots organizer. He is a UTSA math professor who established the nationally recognized San Antonio Prefreshman Engineering Program in 1979, a precursor to STEM education programs.

, former KWEX anchor/reporter and now at Catholic Television of San Antonio, is the founder of the Fabulous Holiday Brunch-GED Scholarship Fundraiser, which pays for GED tests for San Antonio College students. Tijerina was motivated to raise money for this cause after hearing that students -- many low-income, single mothers and the majority Latinas -- were taking GED classes but then didn't have the money to take the test. The event is in its sixth year and has now added scholarships.

(not seen in this photo) of the Mexcian American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, in San Antonio. The civil rights attorneys rarely get a lot of ink, but they're an incredible team. Nina, who has argued cases before the Supreme Court, is national director of litigation. Hinojosa is the group's S.W. regional counsel.

Nina Perales and David Hinojosa (not seen in this photo) of the...photo-3865336.70401 - |ucfirst

Arturo Chávez

is president and CEO of the Mexican American Catholic College, leading its transition from a cultural center to an institution offering bachelor and master's degrees. Chávez founded the nonprofit youth organization JOVEN and served on the White House Council for Faith Based and Community Partnerships. Catholic Charities USA recognized him as "a national champion of the poor."

Joe Diaz is one of the most avid Latino art collectors in the...photo-5230852.70401 - |ucfirst

Graciela Sanchez

, executive director of the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, is a leading grassroots organizer, creator of programming, thinker, strategist.
From left: Former councilwoman Maria Berriozabal, Graciela Sanchez of Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, her mother, Isabel Sanchez, and Viola Casares and Pedra Mata of Fuerza Unida, lead the 22nd Annual San Antonio International Women's Day March last year.

is one of the people in charge of the new BiblioTech and used to run the nonprofit Guadalupe Street Coffeehouse. She's also a second-generation activist. Her father was the famed voting rights activist Willie Velasquez.

is vice president of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project in San Antonio and helps develop strategies for the nonpartisan organization's voter registration and voter education initiatives. Before SVREP, Camarillo was national director of the Leadership Development Program for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Lydia Camarillo is vice president of the Southwest Voter...photo-5227010.70401 - |ucfirst

Mario Compean

, president of Academia America. He was one of the founders of Mexican American Youth Organization, or MAYO, which staged student walkouts in the '60s and '70s, as well as a founder of La Raza Unida Party, and ran for governor. He now teaches citizenship to immigrants.

Mario Compean , president of Academia America. He was one of the...photo-5227016.70401 - |ucfirst

Virgilio Elizondo

, Catholic priest, author and scholar, is widely considered the founder of U.S. Latino theology. Author of numerous scholarly books, Elizondo helped found the Mexican American Catholic College in San Antonio and teaches at the University of Notre Dame. He's the recipient of Notre Dame's Laetare Medal, the oldest, most prestigious award for U.S. Catholics, given to someone whose life exemplifies a distinctively Catholic contribution to humanity.

, pictured with wife Dolores, is professor emeritus of history at the University of Texas at San Antonio and has written numerous history books. He has taught courses on the Spanish borderlands, Spanish colonial Texas, modern Texas history and the cultural origins of San Antonio. In 2005, his colleagues published a volume in his honor titled "Tejano Epic: Essays in Honor of Felix D. Almaraz, Jr," calling him an ambassador for the profession.

Voting rights advocate William C. “Willie” Velásquez of San Antonio will be remembered next month as part of a rare honor from the Texas Legislature.
Last year lawmakers declared each May 9 to be a day of recognition for the founder of Southwest Voter Registration Education Project who died in 1988. For the full report, visit www.expressnews.com.

Click ahead for some of San Antonio's Latino leaders of today. Minority affairs reporter, columnist and blogger Elaine Ayala shines
light on their efforts to benefit the local community. less

Voting rights advocate William C. “Willie” Velásquez of San Antonio will be remembered next month as part of a rare honor from the Texas Legislature.
Last year lawmakers declared each May 9 to be a day of ... more